Mercedes-Benz E-Class AWD estate revealed

This is a discussion on Mercedes-Benz E-Class AWD estate revealed within The International Automotive Scene, part of the BHP Worldwide category; Mercedes-Benz has revealed the E-Class All-Terrain, which is basically a high riding version of the E-Class estate. The car will ...

Mercedes-Benz has revealed the E-Class All-Terrain, which is basically a high riding version of the E-Class estate. The car will make its public debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show.

In order to justify the All-Terrain addition to the moniker, Mercedes has given the car a higher ground clearance, while plastic cladding runs along the wheel arches and lower body panels. The front and rear bumpers even get skid plates to protect the car from mild hits during off-roading. Other features include roof rails and a redesigned twin-slat front grille.

The E-Class All-Terrain has 29 mm of added ground clearance, as compared to the regular Estate. It also gets air suspension, which allows the driver to raise/lower the car's ride height and has a range of 35 mm. The standard setting is 121 mm, which can be raised to 141 mm and 156 mm by selecting preset levels.

Another major addition to the All-Terrain estate is Mercedes' 4Matic all-wheel drive system. It also gets a Dynamic Select system that offers five different driving modes, including a model-exclusive all-terrain mode. The E-Class All-Terrain even features a Comand infotainment system, similar to the one found in the GLE, which shows information about the steering angle, vehicle level, angle of slope, angle of inclination, accelerator/brake position and a compass.

The E-Class All-Terrain is powered by a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that is capable of producing 192 BHP and 400 Nm of torque. It is mated to a 9-speed automatic gearbox.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain will go on sale later next year, and will compete against the Audi A6 Allroad, and the recently unveiled Volvo V90 Cross Country.

While this looks fantastic, I am not sure 156mm of Ground Clearance qualifies it to be used on "All Terrain", especially in developing countries like ours, assuming of course that we get this car here sometime.

The sheer length of this vehicle and its front and rear overhangs, will prevent it from clearing most of the obstacles thrown at it in our country.

Else, I love its looks basically because I love these Station Wagon / Estate cars, but sadly the majority of us in India don't place any value on these big Estate cars at all.